


That Guy From School, Jared Kleinman

by Rantaboutbees



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: AU where Evan and Jared don't know each other, AU where Zoe doesn't exist lol, After Evan breaks his arm, Before the whole Connor ordeal, I never thought I'd write one of those but here we are, It's a frickin, M/M, Takes place the summer before senior year, coffee shop AU, contains some gay shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 02:07:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10731948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rantaboutbees/pseuds/Rantaboutbees
Summary: Jared AirDrops a picture of a really cool cat to Evan in the middle of a cafe.Evan can't tell if this guy is trying to ask him out, because that's not how you're supposed to do it.





	That Guy From School, Jared Kleinman

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off a Tumblr post, if you try looking it up you'll probably find it lol

_Dear Evan Hansen,_

_Today is going to be a good day, and here’s why._

_Because today, you are… Trying new things! That’s right, instead of spending all day in your room feeling safe and comfortable, your mom and therapist somehow convinced you to spend the day in a coffee shop. You gotta socialize more! One step at a time, yeah! So now you’re curled up in the darkest corner of this cramped place praying that nobody can see how nervous and uncomfortable you are. And now you’re thinking about it more so now you’re starting to sweat and your heart is beating faster and faster and faster and faster and everybody knows that you don’t want to be here and they’re all whispering to themselves “hey look at that kid, why is he here, he should be at home hiding under a blanket watching movies on his computer, what an idiot he doesn’t belong here,” and now you’re considering leaving but if you get up everyone will notice and they’ll be watching you walk across the room towards the door and they’ll all stare at you as you go down the street by yourself to the bus stop, but the bus doesn’t come for another twenty minutes and everyone knows that, so they’ll see you waiting at the bus stop for a bus that isn’t going to come anytime soon, and they’ll all think “wow I wonder if he knows the bus doesn’t come for another twenty minutes, he must not know or else he wouldn’t be waiting at the bus stop right now. Why did he come here? He should have stayed home.” And now you’re trying to distract yourself by thinking of something else, but you’re extremely aware of your leg bouncing madly and your hands are shaking and everyone can see and everyone is staring at you and they all know, they all know, they all know how much you don’t belong, you don’t belong, you don’t belong, you should go home but the bus doesn’t come for another twenty minutes, your leg is bouncing and your hands are shaking and you’re sweating and everyone knows and everyone wants you to leave but the bus doesn’t come for another twenty minutes, everyone knows that._

 

Evan stopped typing. He inhaled, feeling his lungs expand. He held his breath for a couple seconds and stole a fervent glance around the room for the first time in about an hour.

 

Everyone had their heads down, reading something off of their computers or phones. They all knew he was looking up, they were being discrete, they didn’t want him to know they had all been staring at him while he continually pushed himself towards a panic attack.

 

Evan took another deep breath. _Just focus on your breathing_ , he remembered his therapist telling him. He looked down at what he typed and felt his chest tightening again. _Breathe_. He put his hands back on the keyboard.

 

_But all of that’s okay, because you’re trying new things!_

 

This new sentence seemed to laugh at him. Try new things. That’s important, right? I mean, why stick to the stuff that makes you comfortable when you can go out in public and make a complete fool out of yourself in front of everybody, creating a memory that will burn into your brain and haunt you for years to come? Try new things, right.

 

He carefully scanned the room again. No one was looking at him. He couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing or bad.

 

He suddenly locked eyes with someone sitting in the far side of the room.

 

Oh god.

 

It was definitely better before. He didn’t want anyone looking at him, let’s go back to being ignored please.

 

He especially didn’t want _this_ guy staring at him, whoever he was.

 

Who was he? He seemed kind of familiar. He probably went to Evan’s school. Evan sort of recognized him; he wondered if the two of them had ever spoken to each other before. Well, if this guy had ever spoken to him -- It seemed unlikely that Evan would have said anything back.

 

He had glasses and brown, side swept hair, and he was wearing some sort of blue shirt over a grey tee. He was still looking at Evan with this amused smirk.

 

He was mocking him.

 

This guy, this random guy that maybe went to school with Evan, was staring at him across a coffee shop, laughing at how incredibly awkward and insecure he was, how much he obviously didn’t want to be here, how his face and hands were sweating a lot and they were only getting sweatier by the minute because holy shit this strange guy was staring at him.

 

Evan jerked his head downwards, away from the guy’s taunting face. He turned his attention back to his computer, struggling to keep this agonizing situation out of his mind. Just breathe.

 

It took quite a few moments of breathing before he was actually able to focus on what was on his screen. When he saw it, he had to pause and read it again. And again. And… Again. His heart had practically stopped by now. He shook his head and, once more, went over this strange notification that had popped up on his computer.

 

**_AirDrop_ **

_KinkySteveKleinman wants to share a photo with you._

 

Below was an image of a cat wearing sunglasses, lounging in some sort of metal pan or pot. The pot cast a shadow along the bottom of the image, and in the middle of the shadow was a tiny white line of text that read “ _will u go out w/me_.”

 

Evan could feel his heartbeat in his ears and his face flush. Was this some kind of joke? He turned his gaze directly towards the guy, who was now staring at his own computer with a completely solemn expression. Evan watched him carefully, but the strange guy never looked up from his screen.

 

He needed to go, he really needed to go.

 

Evan shut his computer and stuffed it into his bag. He stood up quickly, then froze.

 

_The bus still doesn’t come for another fifteen minutes_ , he thought, shifting anxiously on his feet.

 

Panic was beginning to set in. What did this guy want? This was the most disturbing thing anyone had ever done to try and make and fun of him. He could see the picture in his head. A cat in sunglasses? What kind of person came up with that? And what was up with the words at the bottom?

 

Was this guy seriously trying to ask him out?

 

And the name! Holy shit, the name! What was it? _KinkySteveKleinman_? What the actual hell was going on.

 

Evan realized he was just standing petrified in the middle of the cafe. Now some people weren’t hiding it, they were looking right at him as he looked back. His breath was catching in his throat. He had to get out of here, but the bus didn’t come for another fifteen minutes.

 

Evan spun around and walked as quickly as he could towards the bathroom, while still attempting to achieve some sense of subtlety. Everyone could hear him hyperventilating, though, so why did he bother?

 

He threw the door open and dropped his bag in the middle of the dirty floor. By some incredible stroke of luck, both of the stalls were unoccupied. Evan didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if someone were in here to listen to his erratic, panicked breathing.

 

He imagined it anyways.

 

He didn’t like it.

 

He yanked a handful of paper towels out of the dispenser and furiously rubbed his palms and forehead. He was rubbing way too fast, though, so the friction made them warmer and, subsequently, sweatier. He dropped the towels and leaned against the tile wall, squeezing his eyes shut and gasping in air. After a while, he managed to regulate his breathing to an almost normal cadence. His mind was whirring as he tried to wrap his head around what had just happened.

 

Did someone seriously just try to ask him out?

 

_By AirDropping a cat?_

 

* * *

 

 

Jared glanced up from his computer.

 

He still wasn’t back.

 

“The hell is taking that kid so long?” He muttered to himself quietly. “Did he fall in?”

 

He looked back down at his Macbook, his head resting on his fist as he clicked his tongue and bounced his leg.

 

Seriously, he should be back by now. What human could possibly take this long in a bathroom?

 

Was he avoiding him? Was he waiting for him to leave?

 

Jared looked around the room, his brow furrowed. “That cat was fucking hilarious,” He grumbled. “If someone sent _me_ that, I’d make out with them on the spot.”

 

He flicked his computer shut and slid it into his bag, then stood up resolutely.

 

“I’m a catch,” He said, possibly a little louder than he should have. “Any guy would be lucky to have me.”

 

With that, he slung his bag over his shoulder and marched across the room to the bathroom door. He paused and took a breath, then pushed it open and stepped inside.

 

“Hey, I didn’t get an answer,” He said before looking into the room.

 

Then he looked, and saw the kid frozen on the opposite wall, staring at him with more fear in his eyes than what was probably necessary. The kid suddenly scrambled to one of the sinks and hurriedly began washing his hands, as if he had been doing that the whole time. His head was down, and his shoulders were hunched defensively.

 

“Hey dude chill, I’m not gonna murder you.”

 

Jared took a tentative step forward. This was weird.

 

He reached out and placed a hand on the kid’s shoulder, who flinched away violently. Jared quickly pulled his arm back.

 

“Woah, sorry man.”

 

The kid seemed to open his mouth to say something, but he stayed silent. Jared smirked, looking around him awkwardly.

 

“Are you, like, mute or something?”

 

The kid shook his head stiffly.

 

“Then what?”

 

The odd kid kept his head down, and spoke softly. “What do you want from me?” He sounded scared and nervous.

 

Jared spread his arms wide. “He speaks!” He cried, trying to defuse some of the tension.

 

The kid just flinched slightly at Jared’s sudden increase in volume and said nothing.

 

Jared eyed him. What was up with this guy? “What do I want from you?” He repeated. “I thought my message kinda said it all.”

 

“It was a cat in sunglasses.” His voice was dry and humourless.

 

Jared felt a grin spreading across his face. “Yeah, but did you see the words at the bottom?”

 

“Did… Were you…” The kid seemed to shrink further as he stammered, still turned away from Jared. “Was that a… Were you trying to ask me…”

 

Jared leaned forward eagerly. “...On a date?” He finished, smiling broadly. “Hell yeah man. What do you say?”

 

The kid glanced at him with a weird look that Jared couldn’t place. “Seriously? That’s how you asked me?”

 

Jared eyed him. “I thought it was the perfect tactic. Didn’t you love it? I mean, a surprise message containing the coolest cat in the world! And an awesome boyfriend attached!”

 

The kid shook his head and turned around to pick up his bag. “That’s… That’s not how you ask someone on a date.” He started towards the door, but Jared stepped in front of him to stop him.

 

“Then how would _you_ do it, since you seem to be the romance expert here?”

 

The kid kept his head down and avoided all eye contact as he spoke fast and breathily. “You have to be real and genuine, you can’t just AirDrop some random guy a picture of a cat and expect him to like it. You have to get to know him first. Like…” He used various erratic hand motions, and the cadence of his voice went up and down. “Be friends first, have some real conversations and make a connection, you know. Once the two of you are close, then you can ask him.” His confidence seemed to grow ever so slightly as he continued to speak, but Jared noticed his hands were toying nervously with the bottom of his shirt. “But it has to be romantic. You have to get him in the right place, like maybe in a field or a forest or something, you have to be alone so other people can’t distract you, and you have to make sure he’s comfortable. You talk about your usual stuff first, then once the two of you have settled in and everything, that’s when you ask if he’d be okay with dating you.” The kid finished. There was a moment of silence as Jared looked at him, somewhat impressed. The kid glanced up, made brief eye contact, and all his confidence suddenly evaporated. “And, and…” He stuttered. “That’s how you ask someone out on a date.”

 

Jared smiled, subtly showing his teeth. “Sounds epic. How about we go on a date sometime so I can do all of that for you?”

 

The kid blushed furiously at this. His eyes locked on Jared’s mouth for some reason, and he said nothing.

 

“You’re funny,” Jared said smoothly. “I really like you.”

 

The kid nodded awkwardly and looked away. “...Okay.”

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“Oh, um, yeah it’s Evsen. Er, Hansen. I mean Evan.” Evan took a breath. “Evan Hansen.”

 

“Hello Evan Hansen, I’m Jareman. Most people call me Jared Kleinman, though.”

 

Evan’s eyes flickered with recognition. “Oh-- Oh you’re that guy from my school, Jared Kleinman.”

 

“The insanely cool Jared Kleinman!” Jared confirmed, beaming proudly. Evan gave him a shy smile. Jared’s gaze trailed downwards. “Oh, your arm is broken!”

 

“Oh-- Yes, I know.”

 

“What’d you do?”

 

“I, uh-- I fell out of a tree.”

 

Jared laughed at this, and Evan smiled sheepishly.

 

“You fell out of a tree?”

 

Another hesitant nod from Evan.

 

“What are you? An acorn?”

 

Evan laughed quietly. “Um… No, I know.”

 

“Can I sign your cast?”

 

Evan looked at him with surprise. “Y-- You don’t have to.”

 

“I think I’d want to sign my boyfriend’s cast after he falls out of a tree. You got a pen?”

 

“Oh-- Yes! Definitely.” Evan reached into his pocket hastily, and Jared could see him trying and failing to suppress a smile.

 

He looked up, his face red, and Jared smiled back, leaning forward.

 

Evan jerked back and Jared stopped.

 

“This okay?” He asked.

 

Evan stared at him in silence for a bit, then nodded and suddenly grabbed Jared’s shirt and pulled him towards him. Their lips collided.

 

Jared’s mouth was absurdly soft. No one needed lips this soft. Evan kept kissing him, trying to understand why this guy had such soft lips. It wasn’t fair.

 

Evan’s face was practically burning off, and he was positive that Jared could feel it. Their cheeks rubbed against each other every now and then, and Jared’s skin felt cool on his. He wanted to keep their cheeks together, to feel the cold relief of Jared’s skin (which was also softer than it needed to be), but he didn’t want to freak him out with his own heated face.

 

He was being weird, he was kissing too hard. This was dumb, he had to stop before this Jared guy changed his mind. He probably already did change his mind, if Evan was being honest. He was still kissing back, though, which could be a good sign. Yeah, but he was probably just being nice.

 

Evan decided to stop before Jared had enough of him. He pulled away and shrank back nervously.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Dude.”

 

Evan glanced up cautiously, and saw Jared staring at him in shock. His glasses were skewed on his face. Evan gave him an apologetic grin.

 

“That was unbelievable.”

 

Evan took a step back. “Yeah, sorry.”

 

“Oh my god man, what are you sorry for?” Jared demanded, his eyes still wide with astonishment.

 

Evan gave him a skeptical, slightly frightened look.

 

“You have a fucking gift, man. If anything, _I_ should be the one apologizing. There was no way I could match that kind of beastly talent.”

 

“What?”

 

“You are a goddamn _angelic_ kisser, Evan Hansen. That was incredible.”

 

“Oh.” Evan couldn’t think of a single thing to say. If his face was burning before, it was melting now. “Oh,” He repeated.

 

“Call me soon, my man,” Jared said, beginning to walk away. “We gotta do that again sometime.”

 

“Wait--” Evan took a step towards him, but hung back when Jared pushed the door open.

 

Jared left the room, but right before the door shut behind him, he stuck his head back in and held it open. “Oh, and we gotta do that thing you asked for! You said forest, right? Hit me up man, I’ll see to it that we make out in a forest soon.”

 

Jared flashed a smile, and once again Evan noticed the gap between his two front teeth. He had noticed it before, but so many thoughts had been flying through his head that he wasn’t able to latch onto it. He saw it now, and he held onto it, long after Jared’s head had disappeared and the door was clicked shut. Fuck, that guy was cute.

 

Evan looked down and saw that Jared had somehow written his number on Evan’s cast while they were necking. It was shaky, but he could easily make out the numbers. Underneath it, he had written “ _Jareman_ ,” along with a lop-sided drawing of a heart.

 

Evan beamed at this while his head spun. Had he actually just landed himself a boyfriend? What the hell did he do?

 

Was he seriously as good a kisser as Jared had said?

 

Evan looked up from his cast at the door that was now completely shut. He smiled.

 

Try new things.


End file.
